Urgenche

This page is a study. The page identifier is Op_en4679
Moderator:Jouni (see all)

Upload data {{#opasnet_base_link:Op_en4679}}

This page is about the project Urgenche. For the actual work done by the project, see Portal:Urgenche.

Urgenche is an EU funded research project starting in June 2011.

Acronym: URGENCHE
Project ID: 265114
Call: FP7-ENV-2010
Programme: FP7
Activity codes: ENV.2010.1.2.3-2

Abstract

Urban Reduction of GHG Emissions in China and Europe (URGENCHE)

In URGENCHE, a team of internationally recognised scientists in the areas of health risk assessment, urban energy demand and supply scenarios, urban planning, environmental science and epidemiology - in close collaboration with city partners in both Europe and China - develops and applies a methodological framework for the assessment of the overall risks and benefits of alternative greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction policies for health and well-being. These GHG reduction policies may affect public health in various ways, such as the choices made regarding the selection of fuels and means for space heating and transport, building codes to improve thermal efficiency, or urban development and zoning.

A methodological framework will be developed and applied. This framework considers GHG emission reductions of energy demand and supply and transport scenarios in urban areas, the effect of these policies, and subsequently the impacts on human health and well-being. The GIS-based approach takes into account the advances made in integrated assessment in a large range of studies in Europe over recent years (many with participation of the project partners). The impact on human health and well-being of GHG policies may be the result of changes in exposure patterns of the urban population to environmental contaminants such as ambient and indoor air pollution as well as changes in housing, urban green spaces, workplaces, transport and lifestyles. Distribution of the impacts across different socioeconomic groups will be addressed.

Results will be demonstrated for the year 2030 on a business-as-usual and two GHG emission reduction scenarios with emphasis on transport and buildings. URGENCHE will deliver a validated, methodological framework to assess urban GHG policies with the greatest co-benefits for health and well-being in cities ranging in population from 50,000 to 10 million, across various climatological conditions and differences in socio-economic background.

Motivation

Press release, 13 June 2011

Healthy planet, healthy people?

A major new research project will examine how policies designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions could impact human health, it has been announced today.

Led by the University of Exeter the three year €3.5 million programme of research will involve experts from 17 institutions across eight countries.

Funded by the European Union under Framework Programme Seven (FP7) and entitled Urban Reduction of GHG Emissions in China and Europe (URGENCHE), the project will focus on how policies could affect all aspects of human health and wellbeing in urban environments.

It will focus on seven cities across Europe and China as case studies. These range in geography, climate and size, from Xi’an in China, home to more than 8 million people, through to Kuopio in Finland which has a population of less than 100,000.

Professor Clive Sabel, from the University of Exeter’s Geography department and European Centre for Environment and Human Health (ECEHH) and leader of the project, said: “If we don’t start reducing greenhouse gas emissions from cities, the planet will get hotter and hotter, but every policy to tackle those emissions has a potentially profound effect on human health.

“That could be positive or negative, so in order to make that assessment we have to look at all the evidence and relate that to the on-the-ground technical, social, economic, political and cultural realities. This research aims to integrate data from a large variety of sources to inform key policy decisions to ensure city life is a healthy, positive experience that is sustainable for the future of our planet.”

The European Centre for Environment and Human Health (ECEHH), part of the Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry, will also be taking part in the research. Professor Lora Fleming, Director of the centre, said: “One of the unique strengths of this study is the cross cultural comparisons of approaches across many nations, both developing and developed. Climate change is a global environment and human health issue which must be addressed on both local and international levels. This study will help provide some of these future approaches.”

The research will look ahead to 2030 and 2080 to see what the impact would be if various carbon reduction policies would be, particularly in context of a warming climate where issues such as heat stress and water availability will become more prevalent.

Polices under consideration will include everything from encouraging more bicycle use to designing new megacities. Specific areas of research will fall under themes such as looking at building stock, city transport, and methods of calculating human health and wellbeing.

Professor Sabel added: "Even with fairly simple policies, such as encouraging people to take journeys by bicycle, there are lots of factors to consider. It’s not just that there would be less traffic on the roads and less greenhouse gas emissions – those people riding their bikes may feel fitter and happier too.

"However, they could also be breathing in harmful fumes and be at greater risk from other road users. All of these things have to be considered in context to the city in question to decide whether policies are appropriate and beneficial."

Socio-economic issues will also be a key consideration in assessing impact. The lowest socio-economic groups are usually the most exposed to urban health risks because they often reside, go to work and school in the areas of the highest ambient air pollution. Even when this is not the case, the indoor air quality experienced by these groups may still be inferior due to poor building quality, crowding, heating and ventilation.

It is thought that the burdens and benefits of different greenhouse gas reduction policies may affect socio-economic groups differently, and the research will consider the full impacts of policies.

One of the key outcomes of the research will be to provide city planners and decision makers with vital tools and information needed to understand the implications of planning decisions.

The research could inform how cities are developed in the future and, in the developing world, how they are designed from scratch.

Professor Mike Depledge from ECEHH said: “At the moment human health isn’t a major factor in city planning, yet the way buildings, developments, or cities are planned can have a huge impact on health. This research will lay the foundations to make sure that the planning process is much more joined up.

"In China they are building new megacities from the ground up – so this is an ideal opportunity to inform that process."

The research will be a part of the University of Exeter’s Climate Change and Sustainable Futures research theme.

Work is due to start on the project in September this year.

Cities to be studied:

Suzhou, China
Xi’an, China
Basel, Switzerland
Kuopio, Finland
Rotterdam, Netherlands
Stuttgart, Germany
Thessaloniki, Greece

Participants

List of participants:

Participant no.	Participant abbreviation	Participant organisation name	Country
1 (coordinator)	UExeter	University of Exeter	United Kingdom
2	CSuzhou	City of Suzhou	China
3	CXi'an	City of Xi'an	China
4	CBasle	City of Basel	Switzerland
5	CKuopio	City of Kuopio	Finland
6	DCMR	City of Rotterdam	The Netherlands
7	CStutt	City of Stuttgart	Germany
8	UPek	Peking University	China
9	UNanj	Nanjing University	China
10	CERTH	Centre for Research and Technology Hellas	Greece
11	IOM	Institute of Occupational Medicine	United Kingdom
12	SYKE	Suomen Ymparistokeskus	Finland
13	THL	Terveyden ja Hyvinvoinnin Laitos	Finland
14	TNO	Nederlandse Organisatie voor Toegepast Natuurwetenschappelijk	The Netherlands
15	UStutt	Universitaet Stuttgart	Germany
16	STI	Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (an associated Institute of University Basel)	Switzerland
17	WHO	World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe	Denmark/Germany/Italy

The European Centre for the Environment and Human Health (part of the Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry which is a joint entity of the University of Exeter, the University of Plymouth and the NHS in the South West) is supported by investment from the ERDF (European Regional Development Fund) Convergence Programme for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. The Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry is a partner in the Combined Universities in Cornwall.

Keywords

Climate change, decision analysis, city-level decision making, Europe, China

References

Related files